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A Brief History of the Christian Brothers

Establishment of Christian Brothers - St. John Baptist de la Salle - 1680

The Brothers of the Christian Schools Brothers (called the Christian Brothers in the United States) were founded in 1680 in France by St. John Baptist de La Salle, a priest of the Archdiocese of Rheims. The eldest in a wealthy and very socially prominent family, he was shown by someone else that the young boys from the poorest families in his city were the most neglected group in the educational services available. He wrote in his memoirs decades later that he was led by God to get involved in the schools and eventually to found an order of brothers “to give a Christian education especially to children of the working class and the poor” and to “teach them to lead good lives by instructing them in the mysteries of our holy religion.”

First brothers arrive in Louisiana with Bishop Dubourg- 1817

In 1817, the first Christian Brothers to arrive in the New World were recruited from France by Bishop Dubourg, bishop of the Diocese of New Orleans. The brothers traveled upriver to serve at St. Genevieve, just south of St. Louis (Missouri). In 1823, against their Rule which required the brothers to live in communities with a minimum of 3 members, the men were separated and sent to different locations including New Orleans. That small group did not endure, and any records of the brother who was sent to New Orleans is lost to history.

First years in New Orleans - 1851-1900

In 1849, Bishop Antoine Blanc made a persuasive plea to Brother Facile, visitor of the brothers’ District of North America, for brothers to serve in New Orleans. In the fall of 1850, four brothers were sent, constituting the first Christian Brothers’ Community of New Orleans. The first school opened and staffed by the Christian Brothers was St. Patrick’s Parish Free School for Boys which opened in January of 1851. The school was such a success that four more brothers were sent the next year to instruct 360 students. A new building was erected and named St. Mary’s Academy. More schools followed in other parishes. The attempts made by the brothers to open schools in the 19th century and keep them open testifies to their poverty, devotedness, hopes, and disappointments. This list gives the beginning, end, revival and final ending of the eight schools they founded in New Orleans during the last half of the 19th century.

At the end of the school year in 1900, the Christian Brothers withdrew from St. Joseph’s Commercial Academy, the last of the schools in New Orleans in which they taught for varying lengths of time. This 50-year history is worthy of being remembered by those who took up the same work in the 20th century and those carrying it into the 21st.

One Hundred Years of Continous Ministry 1918-2018

None of those who left in 1900 returned, but another group of Christian Brothers entered Louisiana in 1918 to make a new start. This second beginning marks the start of a century of continuous service in Louisiana. In 1917, Archbishop James H. Blenk wrote to the Christian Brothers asking them to send brothers back to New Orleans, but the archbishop’s death delayed their return. In 1918, the Christian Brothers opened St. Peter’s College (high school) in New Iberia, Louisiana. Another group of 19 brothers was sent to Covington to replace the Benedictine Fathers at St. Paul’s College (high school). The contract stipulated that St. Paul’s was leased for 15 years for an annual rent of $2,500. The brothers had the option of buying the property and all equipment within five years for $60,000. School started on September 5, 1918 with 24 day students and 33 boarders. The number of students rose steadily and on June 22, 1921, the deed of sale was signed.

As years progressed the Christian Brothers expanded their field of labor from Covington (1918) and New Iberia (1918) to Lafayette (1919), Franklin (1925), Lake Charles (1927) and eventually New Orleans (1949). In the years that followed more schools opened (or were staffed by the brothers) in Opelousas (1955), Metairie (1960), Broussard (1977) and Shreveport (1984). Today the Christian Brothers are active in four schools in Louisiana: St. Paul’s High School, Covington, De La Salle High School, New Orleans, Christian Brothers School, New Orleans and Archbishop Rummel High School, Metairie.

References:

The Banneret 1953, De La Salle High School yearbook

Christian Brothers in the South and Southwest: Reflections and Memories by Brother Arsenius Macher, FSC (1881-1969) edited by James N. Grahmann, FSC

The Christian Brothers in the South and Southwest, 1851-2001, by James N. Grahmann, FSC

Christian Brothers in Louisiana in Cross, Crozier and Crucible

The Catholic Church in Louisiana, Roger Baudier

Special Thanks to: SFNO District Archives of the De La Salle Institute Christian Brothers Brother Emmett Sinitiere Jennifer Sturm, archivist De La Salle High School Archbishop Rummel High School Christian Brothers School St. Paul’s High School